Diseased trees close hospital road

The road will be marshalled to allow only ambulances through

A major road will be closed to everything but ambulances this week to fell diseased trees.

Part of the A370 (Bridgwater Road), Weston-super-Mare, is closed every day until Friday so the council can carry out essential tree maintenance.

It will be closed to all traffic except emergency vehicles from 09:30 to 15:30 BST, between the Weston General Hospital roundabout and the Uphill Road South/Bleadon Hill junctions.

A number of trees in the area have been infected with ash dieback, North Somerset Council said.

As the main route from the town to the hospital the road will be "fully marshalled", they said, to allow ambulances through.

But all motorised and non-motorised traffic, including cyclists and pedestrians, are barred from the stretch of road.

The council said the trees were so close to the road that it would be "too dangerous" to keep the route open while the work was carried out.

Impact on travel

Ash dieback is a fungal disease which can be fatal to ash trees, meaning trees are sometimes required to be removed for safety reasons.

Councillor Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council’s executive member for arts and leisure, said: “The council manages between 75,000 and 80,000 ash trees, and we have a duty of care to remove those infected with ash dieback so that we can protect the rest.

“We recognise that this work will impact travel for residents, and we apologise for any unavoidable inconvenience caused. We’ve made sure that those requiring urgent care will still be able to travel safely to and from Weston General Hospital in ambulances.

“Felling diseased trees in a safe and controlled way helps us protect our beautiful green spaces in North Somerset.”

The closures come as another major route through the town is undergoing resurfacing works.

Beach Road, which runs along the seafront, is currently being closed in phases through to early May.